1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to enabling a remote communication station (RCS) to engage multiple communication stations (CSs) for a single information flow.
2. Description of Related Art
Wireless communication enables subscribers to place and receive calls from various locations. The increased safety, productivity, and convenience of wireless communication has led to explosive growth across most wireless networks. Meeting the demands of this explosive growth can be difficult and costly. The wireless system is planned well in advance of deployment and is subsequently periodically updated and expanded according to subscriber demands.
In addition to explosive growth in terms of sheer numbers of subscribers, bandwidth demands of individual subscribers are increasing as well. For example, some subscribers may want their speech and sound processed by a codec employing the highest possible bit rate for maximizing speech and sound quality. Other subscribers may have tremendous bit rate demands for transceiving data. In traditional wireless systems, such as time-division multiple access (TDMA) systems, each mobile station (MS) is assigned a single time slot per frame for transceiving all types and all bit-rates of traffic and is in communication with only one base station (BS).
This single time slot/one base station combination provides a bandwidth that may be inadequate for many users. Even if a wireless system were to provide a user the opportunity to transmit multiple time slots in a single frame to the one base station, the resources of the one base station would be rapidly depleted. One option for remedying these bandwidth limitations that result from resource depletion is to expand the wireless network by splitting congested cells into two or more cells. Unfortunately, this is a costly alternative that necessitates the expenditure of additional capital to purchase and install appropriate BS equipment. There is therefore a need in the art for a more cost-effective solution to the resource depletion problem in congested cells.
The deficiencies of the prior art are overcome by the method and system of the present invention. For example, as heretofore unrecognized, it would be beneficial if an MS could maintain a high data-rate information flow without relying on the depleted resources of a best-serving BS. In fact, it would be beneficial if the MS could be in communication with multiple serving BSs simultaneously so that overall information flow bandwidth to and from the MS may be increased.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a wireless user attempting to utilize an RCS (e.g., an MS) to engage in a high data-rate information flow is accommodated by a wireless network even when the best serving CS (e.g., a BS, a radio head, etc.) is heavily congested. When a user requests to initiate a new communication or to increase the bandwidth of a current communication (especially when the information flow becomes or would become a high data-rate information flow), the wireless network determines whether the current or best serving CS can meet the requested bandwidth. If so, that CS is assigned to service the requesting user.
If not, the wireless network searches for other candidate CSs that are not as congested and that can service the requesting user. If other candidate CSs are identified, then the wireless network assigns one or more CSs to service the requesting user. The information flow between the RCS of the user and the CSs of the wireless network is allocated between the multiple CSs. If no adequate candidate CSs are identified, the wireless network attempts to transfer other users to other CSs to create bandwidth resources for the requesting user. If this is unsuccessful, the request may be denied.
The present invention may be advantageously employed during a handover of a high data-rate user to ease the transition of the RCS to a heavily congested cell. In yet another embodiment, an MS transmits one packet to each of three different cells in three different time slots (e.g., in a single frame) in order to aggregate a sufficient bandwidth to accommodate a high data-rate. In still another embodiment, an MS is in communication with a local wireless network controlled by a local controller (e.g., a HUB). The HUB may order several radio heads of the local wireless network to service a high data-rate user.
An important technical advantage of the present invention is that it enables high data-rate users in congested coverage areas to be serviced.
Another important technical advantage of the present invention is that it provides higher performance for high data-rate users by adding more flexibility to radio resource allocation.
Yet another important technical advantage of the present invention is the ability to improve the probability of serving a high data-rate user when more than one radio head or BS may be utilized.
Yet another important technical advantage of the present invention is the ability to optimally handle handover situations involving high data-rate users.